Bonded labour in Sahiwal, Pakistan
Debt bondage or bonded labor is a form of slavery, where a person vows himself or herself against a loan. The time duration for giving services is unknown and usually debt bondage may lead from generation to generation. In Sahiwal, the predicament of laborers has gotten really worse. Majority of them are helpless and due to financial woes had agreed to work for the feudal lords. However, little did they know that they were being enslaved for a lifetime.
Government of Pakistan has passed a law, according to which the daily wage of brick kiln workers is Rs.517 but brick kiln owners pay the workers Rs. 350 to Rs. 400. This is highly unfair to the workers and no one is there to give them justice. The kiln workers were beaten up for seeking a raise. The police also beat the families who only demanded justice. It is a sorry state of our country where there is no such thing as justice. We observe that the rich keep getting richer while the poor keep getting poorer.
It is very unfortunate that there has been laws established since 1992, however, we are in year 2012, but not a single person guilty has been charged of those crimes. What needs to be done and what laws need to be implemented? A partnership with government would be the first step in resolving this magnanimous problem. The law on bonded labor is a comprehensive one which is providing countless opportunities of ways to work. However there are loopholes in our system and government. Those need to be rectified in order for smooth sailing. A design of concrete action is the need of the hour. Once even a single person is punished, it will act as a sign of warning for many people. We hope that the government and the authorities would soon wake up form their slumber.
Government of Pakistan has passed a law, according to which the daily wage of brick kiln workers is Rs.517 but brick kiln owners pay the workers Rs. 350 to Rs. 400. This is highly unfair to the workers and no one is there to give them justice. The kiln workers were beaten up for seeking a raise. The police also beat the families who only demanded justice. It is a sorry state of our country where there is no such thing as justice. We observe that the rich keep getting richer while the poor keep getting poorer.
It is very unfortunate that there has been laws established since 1992, however, we are in year 2012, but not a single person guilty has been charged of those crimes. What needs to be done and what laws need to be implemented? A partnership with government would be the first step in resolving this magnanimous problem. The law on bonded labor is a comprehensive one which is providing countless opportunities of ways to work. However there are loopholes in our system and government. Those need to be rectified in order for smooth sailing. A design of concrete action is the need of the hour. Once even a single person is punished, it will act as a sign of warning for many people. We hope that the government and the authorities would soon wake up form their slumber.